USMNT captain Tyler Adams agrees to deal with EPL’s Bournemouth - The Washington Post
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U.S. men’s national team captain Tyler Adams signs with Bournemouth

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U.S. men's national team captain Tyler Adams is headed to Bournemouth. (Julio Cortez/AP)
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U.S. men’s national soccer team captain Tyler Adams’s transfer saga ended Sunday, with the 24-year-old midfielder agreeing to a deal with Bournemouth of the English Premier League. The move comes a week after Adams’s apparent transfer from Leeds United to Chelsea fell through.

As the youngest captain at last year’s World Cup and the U.S. men’s youngest World Cup captain since 1950, Adams shined in Qatar, helping the Americans advance to the round of 16. He started 24 games for Leeds last season, which was his first in the Premier League after four years with RB Leipzig of the German Bundesliga. Adams underwent surgery after suffering a hamstring injury in March and was sidelined for the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign as Leeds failed to stave off relegation to the Championship, English soccer’s second division.

Only a week earlier, Adams appeared bound for Chelsea, which agreed to pay the $25 million release clause in his contract that could be triggered after Leeds was relegated. With Adams in London to take his physical and finalize his contract, the deal fell through because of disagreements over the structuring of his transfer fee, according to ESPN. Meanwhile, Chelsea had renewed its pursuit of 21-year-old Brighton star Moisés Caicedo, who eventually signed with the Blues for a British record transfer fee, including add-ons, of about $146 million. Chelsea has since added midfielder Romeo Lavia from Southampton.

By Aug. 14, Bournemouth had emerged as an alternative suitor for Adams, who in 2020 became the first U.S. player to score in a Champions League quarterfinal. Adams continues to rehab his hamstring injury and is expected to return to action in September. Bournemouth finished 15th in the 20-team Premier League last season, which marked its return to England’s top division after two years in the Championship.

“He’s a really good player,” Bournemouth Coach Andoni Iraola said Friday, before Adams’s signing became official. “He has performed in the Champions League, national team experience.”

Adams will help fill Bournemouth fill the void left by midfielder Jefferson Lerma, who signed a three-year deal with Crystal Palace in June.